Nicholas Freeman (born 1956) is an English lawyer best known for specialising in the defence of traffic and speeding cases as well as road safety campaigning. He is the owner of Manchester-based legal practice Freeman & Co. Freeman has been nicknamed "Mr Loophole" by the British tabloid press, a sobriquet which he has since trademarked. Along with his partner, TV presenter Melissa Porter, Freeman has branched out into life coaching, co-creating a YouTube channel called The Life Coach and the Lawyer. He has also recently adopted Porter's son, Pierce, stating that "Adoption was something I’ve always wanted to do and this is a very natural process". Freeman contributes to Jeremy Vine on 5, using his legal and road safety knowledge to inform and advise the public about legislation changes, arguing that reckless cyclists should have their driving licenses confiscated and be subject to drink and drug testing.

Early life

Freeman is Jewish. He was privately educated at Uppingham School in Rutland. His father worked in retail, but warned him there would not be a business for him to take over. Although harbouring ambitions to become a professional golfer, he was persuaded to study law. Freeman completed his A-levels a year early, and went on to study law at Trent Polytechnic, and at the College of Law in Chester.

Career

On graduation, Freeman became an Articled Clerk in Nottingham. He won an advocacy competition and was hired as a prosecutor for Greater Manchester Police in 1981. In 1983, he moved to a firm of criminal lawyers in Manchester and was a partner within six months. Aged 42, he left and set up Freeman & Co in Manchester. Freeman gained notoriety for getting acquittals for several celebrities. Freeman also still handles legal aid work and is on the Legal Services Commission's specialist fraud panel.

Loopholes

On the ethics of using loopholes, Freeman comments: Morally, I can't [justify it], but ethically, I can. My job is to give my clients the best defence I can. That is the job of every defence lawyer. I can't pick and choose who I defend based on my opinion; that would mean I was judging them, and that would be a dereliction of my duty. If I repeatedly identify shortcomings in police procedures, then perhaps we will end up with better standards in policing and then we will all be safer on the roads because people will not take chances. Until then, it is my job to identify inadequate policing and procedures. I want to make one thing clear, however. I do not condone drunk-driving or irresponsible driving of any kind. And where I successfully defend clients I will often take them to one side and give them a polite ticking-off, tell them they have been very lucky and advise them to use that luck by not transgressing again.

Clients

His first high-profile case was that of Alex Ferguson in 1999. Freeman argued that Ferguson had to use the hard shoulder to get to the training ground to allow for his upset stomach and need for a toilet. Clients since have included:

Arrest

On 30 October 2006, Freeman and one other man were arrested by Greater Manchester Police at premises in the centre of Manchester and held at a police station. The arrest was for suspicion of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice by encouraging a client to lie under oath, and the arrest was on behalf of an investigation being undertaken by Gwent Police. Freeman denied the allegations, and after an extended release on bail, no charges were brought against him after it emerged that he had not spoken to the client.

Campaigning

In 2021, Freeman created a petition calling for cyclists and e-scooter riders to be required to display visible identification, to use cycle lanes where available, and for the introduction of a licensing and penalty point system. The petition received 10,000 signatures, and the government responded that it had no plans to introduce such requirements for cyclists. In 2014, he established the "Save the Staffy" website as part of his campaign against negative stereotypes about the Staffordshire Bull Terrier dog breed.

Books